Pressure regulator



J. E. VINCENT PRESSURE 'REGULATOR Filed Jan.

April 26, 1938.l

29, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l Homey",-

llatentecl Apr. 26, .1938

UNlTEo sTATEs PATENT oFFlcE PRESSURE BEGLATR .lames lll. Vincent, Johnstown, ha.

Appliatin Jmillwlly mi, 1932, Serial N0., 589,72@

'7 minima.,

equipment ireauently taire the torno oi those illus trated, ior example, in ldastian Patent llliili or ll/iesser Patent l.,5ld,2l7. l tihile i am not limited to the use oi' the specific structures shown lli in these prior patents, my improvements are `nell suited ior use in combination with the character oi valve shovsm therein.

The nature oi my improvements will be iully apparent iront the following speciiicatlon when 2@ read in connection With the accompanying dranings and vvill be deilned with. particularity in accordance with statutory requirements inthe appended claims.

lin the dinvvingrz- 25 lillg. l is a general View showing the clniracter oi apparatus to which niy invention applies;

litlg. 2 is a vertical section on line ii-i oi' idg. l;'

idg. Si is a section online oi' lilig. d; lilig. 4l is an enlarged vievv illustrating one posi 3@ tion oi my improved cut od valve;

Fig. 5 is a similar view illustrating hovv my improved cut od valve prevents the iiovv oi high pressure iiuid in the event oi brealrage oi, the valve disc.

35 Referring in detail to the drawings; lli represents also-called bottle or tanlr, which usually contains a supply 'oi' orrygen which is maintained at high pressure, ior enample, troni itil@ to 2000 pounds per square inch. The regulator, indicated 4m as a whole at lll, communicates with the supply `taule or bottle lll. This regulator includes v a chambered casing it having a bonnet `lli screwed on the end thereoi and clamping in place a oliaphragrn it. ,an adjusting screw iii is threaded gg through the end oi the bonnet and it presses on a disc it, 'which engages one end oi a compression spring it, the other end oi which engages a larger disc it, which is secured to a yire The diaphragm it, as shown, is clamped between the disc it and the yolre ill.

The yolre it forms a movable support tor a valve disc it, which cooperates `rvith the nozzle it. This nozzle ti has a screvv threaded shanlf. it, which is secured to a bridge piece Stil iorrning w part of the casing oi the regulator. "lhe nozzle (Ul. 2li-2li) has a duct it extending arially therethrough. This duct normally communicates with a passageway it formed in the bridge piece dit. This passage being connected by a pipe llt `with the orygen supply tant: lll. The bridge piece is straddled by g the yolse it, as shown.

The disc lili is adjustably and removably mounted in a screvv plug dit and adapted to be loclred in position by a threaded clamp stud These members being seated in a hub iorrned on ro a plate it secured to the extremity oi the yolre it.

1in the normal operation oi the regulator, the communication between the huid supply tanl; lll and the outlet htting till which connects with a suitable hose di leading to suitable welding la nozzles, is controlled by the relative positions oi the eutremity ci notizie and the valve disc hy adjusting the screvv iii, the operator can regu late the edective tension oi the spring it, so as to control the pressure tol suit requirements. The 2@ worldng pressure on a lovv pressure side is indicated by suitable pressure gauge which cornn municates with the chamber delined by the interior oi the casing lll and diaphragm ill. 'lhere is a similar high pressure gauge vvhich corn- 25 municates with the passage it leading irorn the supply pipe di. in the normal operation. oi regulators oi' .tlie character thus tar described, the valve disc ireuuently becomes badly Worn, cracked, or total- 3@ ly` destroyed. "this is very apt to cause a serious accident because oi the high pressure oi duid l handled by this type 'oi regulator. llt is common practice to renevv the valve disc it and vrorhrnen y handling the apparatus oi this character are in- 3g structed to examine the disc at regular intervals and have it renewed. `ll'arloin: suggestions have been made heretoiore to prolong the liie oi a disc. Nevertheless, in actual practice, the discs are ireuuently destroyed. This constitutes a serious t@ hasard. llfiy present invention aims to provide means for automatically cutting oil the supply of high pressure gas in the event oit the brealrage or failure ci" the disc. 'l'o these ends, i provide means edective to positively interrupt the gas non upon breakage oi the disc. ln the embodiment oi the invention illustrated, l provide a stern it, which entends auially1 through the duct it in the nozzle, one end ci this stem. normally resting or bearing against the valve `disc tt. The opposite end oi the stem is slidablyguided in a guide ntting lit secured to the nozzle. The stem carries a valve head ti having a portion iorrned with a v substantially spherical suriace adapted to cooper- M ate with a similarly shaped valve seat u formed in the nozzle I2.

So long as the valve disc Il is in good condibe blown away. 'Ihiswill permit thestem tomove relatively to the nozzle so as to bring the valve head 62 ilrmly intov contact with the valve seat 8l, thus positively preventing the flow of high pressure fluid from the tank. g This position of Ithe parts is illustrated in iiig. 5. Once the valve moves to the position of Fig. 5, it will be understood that the pressure on the enlarged head thereof will hold it in closed position. Upon reassemblyy of the parts the valve disc 3l will of course restore the parts to the working position of Fig. 4. In this position, the nozzle I! is shown in closed engagement with the valve disc 3l. It

is .understood of course that the nozzle 32 can be unseated from the disc Il by manipulation of the adjusting screw 2l, when the operator wishes to permit the flow of iluid from the supply tank to the hose l2. Y

The regulator is also equipped with a relief valve, indicated as a whole at 8l, which is adapted to vent the fluid to atmosphere in the event that a dangerous or abnormal pressure should tend to build up within the chamber il. This relief valve includes a body having a shank in threaded engagement with the regulator casing, this body carrying a valve member 'Il normally held-in engagement with its valve seat by a spring 12, whose tension can be varied'by addusting a threaded spring cup 14. 'Ihe spring cup 'Il is enclosed by a cover 1C having suitable vent holes 'Il formed therein.

'I'he combined action oi' the cut oi! valve l! and the relief valve Il is of considerable importance ,at the time oi', or immediately following the instant of failure oi tbe valve disc Il. 'Ihe relief valve at such critical period is effective to vent to atmosphere the nuid which passes the elapses while Ait travels from its open position of Fig. 4 to its vcui: oil position of Fig. 5. The

relief valve is also effective prevent the building up of a dangerousbursting pressure inthe casing I4 or the hose l2, such as might be 0ccasioned by leakage between the nozzle 32 and valve disc I0 just prior to the ultimate complete failure or destruction of the disc.

, Various modincations maybe made by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention as defined in the following claims.

What I claim iszl. A pressure regulator comprising a nozzle' having a duct extending therethrough for the passage of high pressure iluid, a disc coacting with said nozzle, the disc and nozzle being movable relatively to one another and jointly controlling` the flow of fluid through said' duct. and a supplementary valve having an imperforate head eil'ective to positively close said duct only upon the destruction and consequent removal of said disc 2..A pressure regulator vcomprising a nomle having a duct extending therethrough for the passage of high pressure huid, a disc coacting with said nozzle, the disc and nozzle being movable relatively to one another and jointly controlling the ilow of fluid through said duct, and a supplementary valve formed with an imperforate head and having parts coacting with the nozzle and the disc and effective to automatically close the duct in said nozzle only upon the shattering and blowing Iaway of the shatteredparts of -said disc.

3. A pressure regulator comprising a nozzle having a duct extending therethrough for the passage of high pressure iluid, a disc coasting with said nozzle, the disc and nomle being movable relatively to one another and jointly controlling the now of fluid through said duct, a supplementary valve having an imperforate head adapted at times to close the duct infsaid nozzle, and means normally engaging said disc and effective to hold said head in position to permit the flow of iluid through said duct and adapted to permit the movement of said head to a position to stop said now only upon the breakage and consequent removal of said disc.

4. A pressure regulator comprising a nozzle having a duct extending therethrough for the passage of high pressure iluid, a disc coacting with said nomic, the disc and nozzle being movable relatively to one another and jointly controlling the now of fluid through said duct, a stem extending through and projecting beyond the ends of said nozzle, said stem having an imperforate head coacting with a seat formed in the nozzle and having a part normally resting on the disc and holding the head out of contact with lsaid seat.

5. A pressure regulator of the character described including a nozzle secured to a xed support, said support having a passage therein which communicates with a' source of high pressure uid, a member movable toward and from said nozzle and having a disc which is normally effective to control the ow of iluid through the nome, said disc being secured in a member which is adjustable longitudinally of said nozzle, a

stem extending through the nozzle and having one extremity normally resting on said disc and an impe'rforate valve head intermediate the ends of the stem coacting with the nozzle and arvalve head 62 in the momentary interval which ranged to normally permit the flow of fluid therethrough, and guiding means for said stem'.I

6. A pressure regulator of the character described including 'a nozzle 'having a duct formed therein, a xed support for the nozzle having a fluid supply passage therein communicating with said duct, a member movable toward and from the nozzle .carrying a valve disc. a stem extending through the duct having one end normally engaging said valve disc and the other end slidingly engaging a guide carried by the nozzle, said nozzle having an inner valve seat having a substantially spherical surface and a. valve head carned by the stem and having a substantially spherical portion for coaction with said seat.

'1. In combination, a valve disc and a coacting valv'e member having a duct therein communieating with a source of high pressure iluid, saidr disc and member being movable relatively to one another and an imperforate valve between said pressure source and said duct normally held unseated by said disc and adapted to be seated automatically only upon destruction and removal of, said disc. l JAMES E. VINCENT. 

